


Year of Hope

by icedmocha5



Category: Batgirl (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics), Robin (Comics)
Genre: BAMF Cassandra Cain, BAMF Stephanie Brown, Barbara Gordon is Oracle, Cassandra Cain is Batgirl, Ficlet Collection, Gen, Hope vs. Despair, One Shot Collection, Past Stephanie Brown/Tim Drake, Stephanie Brown Appreciation, Stephanie Brown Needs a Hug, Stephanie Brown is Batgirl, Stephanie Brown is Robin, Stephanie Brown is Spoiler, barbara gordon is basically steph and cass's mom, it takes place though lots of times so lots of batgirls and robins?
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-01
Updated: 2020-08-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 06:46:57
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 7,817
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22072747
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/icedmocha5/pseuds/icedmocha5
Summary: "Everything doesn't have to be about fear. There's room in our line of work for hope, too."2020 is the year of hope, and to comemorate that, I will be posting a ficlet of Stephanie Brown most days throughout the year. Stephanie Brown is one of the most determinate and hopeful characters in the DCU, and I hope to bring that to light in this. Some chapters will be short, others long, but all will deal with a character who radiates hope despite the circumstances.
Comments: 27
Kudos: 29





	1. Bitterness

**Author's Note:**

> This fic takes place pre-flashpoint, except I'll probably end up using Duke and Harper down the road. But Stephanie's origin is pre-flashpoint, and she has been Robin in this. She is currently Batgirl during this first chapter.

Given everything that’s happened in her life, Stephanie Brown should a very bitter person.

Her father was in and out of jail her entire life. When he was home, he would lock her in the closet if she made him mad. She waited and waited for Batman to take him away for good and to save her family. He never did.

Her mom was addicted to drugs and frankly, was a horrible mother. She never attended Stephanie’s gymnastics meets, and she didn’t know how to care for Stephanie.

One of her babysitters as a kid tried to rape her. He died a few days later. She never confirmed it, but she’s pretty sure her dad caused it.

Stephanie thought that life would finally take a turn for the better after becoming Spoiler. She met Batman and Robin, but they tried to constantly discourage her from continuing on as a hero, saying that she didn’t have enough experience.

She finally had gotten Robin to trust her, and he wouldn’t even tell her his real name. He knew everything about her, and she knew nothing of him.

Her ex-boyfriend Dean had gotten her pregnant, and then ditched town because things got hard. She had a baby at age 15, and gave it up for adoption so that it wouldn’t have to live a life with a superhero mom. Because what did Stephanie know about being a good mother, she didn’t have one to look up to.

About a year later Robin was missing. Batman offered to train her and finally told her that Robin’s name was Tim Drake. To say Tim was pissed would be an understatement.

Batman decided after training her for a bit that she wasn’t cut out to be a superhero after all. He told her to hang up her costume, and he got the Birds of Prey to stop mentoring her. Because it’s apparently his choice who gets to be a hero?

Tim got fired from being Robin, and then he cheated on her with a girl from his school. She went to Batman to become the new Robin. He said yes, but he constantly kept telling her how Tim could do everything she did, but better. He even fired her because she disobeyed one order.

Apparently Steph was too similar to a previous Robin that had died, and Batman was scared of that.

To prove herself she started one of Batman’s plans to end crime in Gotham, except because he didn’t trust her enough to tell her one detail, she accidentally caused a gang war that devastated Gotham.

Stephanie was tortured by Black Mask and pretty much almost died. Hell, Leslie Thompkins told everyone that she did die.

Pretty soon after she got back, Batman went missing. He had earlier given her orders to hinder Tim’s search for him, and Tim decided to stop talking to her after he found out. She also hired villains to attack him, because Bruce had also wanted her to do that. Tim found out, again, and he ordered her to stop being a hero, since he couldn’t trust her.

All this had made Stephanie Brown a very bitter person. But there was one thing that kept her going, despite all this.

Hope.

Cluemaster had been in and out of jail for years, and she had hoped that Batman would save her family by getting rid of him. He did, just not in the way that Stephanie had expected. She has a new family now, thanks to Bruce.

Her mom went to rehab and got over her addiction. She still doesn’t know how to be a good mother, but she’s trying. She’s making an effort to get to know her daughter, and the waffles seem to be a good start.

Through being Spoiler she got to know other heroes like Cassandra Cain and the Birds of Prey. Cassandra is now one of Stephanie’s best friends, and Steph doesn’t know where she’d be if it weren’t for Babs mentoring her through the years.

Tim helped her get through the pregnancy when she had no one else to lean on. He took her to Lamaze classes, and was there when she gave birth.

Leslie Thompkins allowed her a way to have a restart on life. Sure, making your friends and family think you’re dead is kind of extreme, and Steph probably wouldn’t do it again given the chance, but it allowed her time to think and reflect on her life.

It was then that Stephanie realized that she had given other people in her life second chances when they deserved it. Her mom got one when she went clean, Tim got way more chances than he probably should have, but he wasn’t always in a good mental place, and Steph needed to remember that.

Stephanie had been so focused on making sure Bruce would give her a second chance, that she never let him see why she really deserved it.

And honestly? She’s got Cass, Babs, and Tim. She doesn’t always need Bruce’s approval.

Cass helped her learn how to more effectively fight in return for reading lessons. There isn’t anyone on Earth that Steph trusts more than Cass.

Cassandra even gave her the Batgirl suit. Bruce had learned to trust Stephanie enough before his “death” to tell Cassandra that Stephanie was a worthy candidate for the title of Batgirl.

She proved herself to Barbara again, and Barbara gave her her own Batgirl suit. She worked with the new Robin, and earned his trust too. That’s not something easily done. Tim still hasn’t done it.

Hey, there’s something she’s better than Tim at!

She taught Damian how to be a kid. She brought him to moon bounces, and ate waffles with him. She teamed up with him, and learned from him as much as her learned from her.

Bruce came back from the timestream or wherever he was. Stephanie was prepared for another round of why she shouldn’t be a superhero. She didn’t get that. He told her that he was proud of how she was doing.

Stephanie was proud of herself too.

She was in college, the only Robin to not drop out so far, and had friends in and out of costume.

Stephanie Brown was once a very bitter person, and while she still has all that bitterness inside of her, she ended up learning from the hardships in her life.

So while Stephanie still has anger inside of her, she also has hope to get her through her life.


	2. C-List Villains & Cocoa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So during this Steph is Spoiler and hasn't yet been Robin, Cass is Batgirl, and Tim is Robin. And we're pretending Steph knew Tim's identity sooner so we don't get all that drama. Sorry that this one is shorter, but it's only the beginning. Much more middle Bat kid bonding will come throughout the year!

“Ughhh, I _hate_ the snow. It’s cold, and gets all wet and slushy and somehow gets in my boots.” Stephanie complained to herself as she trudged along the streets of Gotham. “Hey, Cass’s apartment isn’t far from here, maybe she’s home.” Cass always has a stash of hot chocolate available for gross nights like this one.

Spoiler finally reached Cass’s apartment, and she realized there was a sign on the door. It read, “Open for Spoiler and Robin _only_.” Looks like Cass had been expecting visitors tonight.

“Hello? Cass? It’s me, Steph.” Stephanie kicked off her boots by the door, not wanting to track slush all over the floor.

Cass waved from the kitchen counter. “Hi Steph! Long night?”

“Oh man, you don’t know the half of it. I’ll tell you, but only if it’s over hot chocolate.”

“Of course. You know where the mix is. Tim texted me a few minutes ago. He is also on his way.”

Stephanie perked up at the mention of Tim. “Oh sweet! It’ll be like a meeting of the youngest Bat Kids.” She put the milk in the microwave, and emptied a packet of hot chocolate mix into a Wonder Woman mug.

“It’s all the Bat Kids except for Nightwing. Maybe someday there will be more, and we will be the older siblings.” Cassandra mused.

Steph scoffed at that. “Yeah right. Tim is only around because he forced Bruce into taking him years ago, you’re here cause of Babs, and I’m just too stubborn to leave. He _just_ adopted Dick, and that’s because he was already his ward. I doubt he’ll adopt anymore kids.”

Cass thought about that for a minute. “Perhaps. We will just have to wait and see.”

The two girls sat in silence while Stephanie mixed up her cocoa, when the door opened and the Boy Wonder himself walked through.

“ _Wow_ was it rough tonight. You’re lucky you got the night off, Cass.” Tim looked up to see the two girls drinking hot chocolate. “Got any left? If not, I’ll settle for some coffee.”

“No way are you getting coffee, Boy Sleepless. It’s 2am. Coffee will make you unable to sleep, and if I recall correctly you have a Young Justice meeting tomorrow. Or, technically, later today,” Steph frowned. “You need to be well-rested to deal with Kon and Bart all day.”

Tim rolled his eyes. “Whatever, I’ll just take some hot chocolate. Is there whipped cream at least?” He looked in the cabinet before deciding on a Green Lantern mug.

Cass just stared at him. “Why would there _not_ be whipped cream?”

Tim made his hot chocolate while the girls continued to talk, and he sat down next to them at the counter. “So Steph, how’d your night go?”

“Ughhhhh, it was _so slow_. At least, in the beginning. So I’m sitting there in the freezing cold, thinking it’s about time to call off my patrol for the night, when out of the corner of my eye I see someone wearing something rainbow. Of course in Gotham no one would wear bright colors if their not up to no good, so naturally I followed him. Turns out it was Crazy Quilt. _Crazy Quilt_. I didn’t think he was even still around!”

Cass and Tim both laughed at that. “Dude, I had to deal with _Polka-Dot Man_ tonight. It’s like the weather goes foul and all the C-List villains come out of the sewers!” Tim exclaimed.

“All the good villains must have a sense of self preservation. At least a small amount, since they still insist on fighting us.” Cass said.

The three teen vigilantes laughed at that, causing some of Tim’s hot chocolate to spill onto his costume. This, of course, only led to Cass and Steph laughing even harder than before. Tim tried to be mad at them, but he found the act impossible. The three of them continued to talk through the morning, finally deciding that they should get some rest only an hour before the sun came up. Sure, they would be tired the rest of the day, but laughing of hot chocolate was so worth it.

Being a teen vigilante can be hard, but it’s moments where they’re able to laugh about their experiences with each other that make it truly worth it. The friendships forged by fighting together can stretch across dimensions, and will last for many lifetimes.


	3. Bat Kid Haikus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> So basically I had no time to write today, so I tried to do something different today and wrote a haiku about all of the Bat Kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry that this one was so short, I didn’t have much time to write today!

Stephanie:

eggplant not purple  
waffles are a way to bond  
try to stop me bruce

Cass:

the ninja child  
batgirl and then she’s black bat  
only wayne daughter

Tim:

smart and stil awkward  
he can fool even batman  
besties with kon el

Duke:

wait you guys have died  
good thing i have some powers  
still kinda confused

Dick:

acrobat of love  
most trusted of all heroes  
yes the butts do match

Jason:

fighting more violent   
dc has done him dirty  
always does his best

Damian:

friend of animals   
tried to be stoic but fails  
brother of many

Barbara:

oracle is boss  
there is nothing she can’t do  
mom to all batgirls

Batkids:

all are quite unique  
ninjas fighting for justice  
and i love them all


	4. Substitute

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dick Grayson has a date with beautiful Barbara Gordon, but who will watch Bludhaven in his absence? Lucky for him, there's another Bat Kid who happens to be pretty flippy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is based on the fact that Steph has been shown being Nightwing in possible futures, and she was almost Nightwing in the Smallville comics. Also, I honestly don't know when this takes place. I guess New 52 identities, so a morally ambiguous Red Hood, Nightwing, Damian is Robin, Red Robin, and Spoiler.

“Go Fish, Goldie.” Jason Todd leaned back in his chair. It was card night for the Robins, something that happened roughly once a month. Roughly, because sometimes people like to fake their death and not show up (cough cough _Dick_ cough cough).

Dick sighed and drew another card. “Tonight is _not_ my night. But tomorrow night will be. I got a date with Babs. That reminds me, I need someone to take over for Nightwing tomorrow. Anybody up for it?”

“I have a Titans thing tomorrow, sorry,” Tim took a long sip from his hot chocolate, leaving a moustache of whipped cream behind.

“The Kent family has invited me over for dinner, and Jon wishes to show me how the stars differ where he lives from where I grew up.” Damian replied.

Jason looked Dick dead in the eyes. “I cannot flip the way you do to save my life, and I’m pretty certain I wouldn’t fit in any of your costumes. Sorry bro.”

Everyone turned to look at Steph. “Well Steph, it looks like you’re the only one left. You’re pretty acrobatic, and I’m certain one of costumes from when I first started out will fit you.”

Steph’s eyes went wide. “Nuh uh, I’ve seen the pictures. There is no way in Hell you will _ever_ catch me wearing the discowing suit. I’ll take finger stripes over that v-neck.”

“Fine, we’ll see if Alfred can take one of my old costumes and refit it a bit to fit you better. That is, _if_ you’re up to it.” Dick grinned.

Stephanie sighed. “Sure, why not. No one will mistake me for you though, that’s for sure. Then again, I replaced Tim as Robin, so hopefully it shouldn’t be _too_ big a surprise for anyone.”

“Great! I’ll meet you here at 2:00 to get the costume ready then?” Dick asked.

“2:00 it is.”

\----------------------------------

“Well Miss Brown, how does it feel?” Alfred waited with Dick to see if there needed to be any more adjustments to the Nightwing costume.

Steph walked out, and showed off the blue costume that contrasted with her normal purple. “Like I’m wearing something that isn’t mine. This is the second costume of yours that I’m wearing Dick, I feel like all I’m doing is following blindly in a path someone’s already laid out.”

Dick rested his arm around Stephanie’s shoulders. “Hey, you’re doing this with my blessing. It’s only for one night, and it shouldn’t even be that bad. Plus, if you do good enough, maybe I’ll let you do it again.” Dick grinned and started to walk off. “I’ve gotta start getting ready for my date. Good luck tonight!”

“Good luck to us all.” Alfred muttered under his breath.

Steph frowned. “What was that Alf?”

“Oh, nothing Miss Brown. Now, you’d best start stretching before trying to impersonate Master Dick, should you not?”

“Ooh, yeah, that’d be a good idea. Thanks for reminding me!” Steph ran off in the direction of the Bat Cave.

\----------------------------------

Steph hopped onto Dick’s motorcycle and headed off for Bludhaven. “Alright, time to impersonate the acrobat who’s known Batman longer than any of us _and_ founded the Teen Titans and has led the Justice League. No pressure.”

The new Nightwing rode in silence on her way to Bludhaven. Hopefully Dick was right, and it wouldn’t be too crazy.

Nightwing parked her bike in an alley, and grappled up to the rooftops. From up here she had a vantage point that most people in the city never got to see. And that was truly something they were missing out on.

Being on a rooftop held so many memories for Stephanie. It was on the rooftops of Gotham where she first met Batman and Robin. God, it was the rooftops where she first nailed Tim in the face with a brick. By the time Stephanie had begun running and jumping between rooftops, there were half a dozen others who had done it before her, who were there _with_ her. For the first time in her vigilante career, Stephanie was on her own.

And it scared her. The last time she tried to do something on her own, she ended up starting a gang war that ravished Gotham and nearly killed her.

But it also gave her a greater sense of self worth. Dick obviously didn’t hold the gang war over her anymore, or he wouldn’t have had her take over for him tonight. The other members trusted her too. Barbara let her be Batgirl, and Damian would still patrol with her from time to time. The fact that they were letting her wear _the_ Nightwing suit meant that she was a trusted member of the Batfamily.

“Help!” Steph whipped her head around and saw that there was a simple mugging going. Hah, nothing that _Nightwing_ can’t handle.

“Hey creeps! Why don’t you pick on someone your own size?” Okay, so that was probably the most cliche thing that Stephanie could say. But it looked badass because she also grappled and then flipped down by them while saying it.

The mugger frowned. “Wait a minute. You’re not Nightwing. Nightwing doesn’t have blon--- _oof!_ ” Steph nailed them in the chest with a kick, and managed to get the gun out of the other guy. Ya know, maybe switching up identities is what they needed to confuse the bad guys. Could be useful in the future.

Steph nodded at the person who was being mugged. Muggee? Whatever, it doesn’t matter. “You’re all good now. Go home and get some sleep. Maybe drink some hot chocolate.”

The lady stared at Nightwing for a moment, and then ran off into the distance. Hopefully she’ll make it home without much trouble. But Stephanie’s got her own trouble to deal with right now.

“As for you two, I think I’m gonna have to bring you in.” Steph pulled handcuffs out of her belt and handcuffed the two crooks. “Time to find out where the hell Bludhaven’s police station is.”

Steph dragged them over to her bike, (okay, _Dick’s_ bike), and heaved them onto the back. She drove around the city until she finally came across the station. There were a couple of cops standing outside.

“Hello there cops of Bludhaven! I am Nightwing, (as you probably can tell), and I come with some crooks for you to lock up.” Stephanie dumped the two creeps off and sped off back towards Gotham, not waiting for any response from the cops. It had taken her longer than she had wanted to to find the police station, and she was ready for a hot shower and a nice sleep.

All in a day’s work for your average Bat Fam member.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so this was gonna start just being really lighthearted and was just gonna be a fun ride for all involved, but it ended up getting kinda introspective so like thats fun. This is probably my favorite chapter so far. But it's only the fourth, so it's not like there's that many to choose from yet.


	5. Tea Time with Uncle Ed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steph needs to vent about her shitty dad. Who better to talk to then the one he ripped off in the first place?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This takes place before Steph is Robin, but after Riddler has stayed at her house before.

_Knock Knock!_ Edward Nygma looked up from his crossword puzzle. Hmm, not too many people who visited him used the door. Friends barged right in, and enemies can in through the window. He sighed, and walked over to the door. “Alright then, who is it?”

He was greeted by none other than Gotham’s purplest vigilante, Spoiler. She also happened to be the daughter of one of his least favorite Rogues, Cluemaster. However, she was dressed in civilian clothes, and seethed with anger. _Interesting_ , Riddler thought. _Bat folk tend to keep their emotions very in check._

“Stephanie.” He nodded. “Is this a business visit?”

“Nope! Not even close. My dad is being an asshole, and you’re the person I figured could relate the most, since he stole your schtick and whatnot.” Stephanie walked right on in and plopped herself down on the couch. _His_ couch to be specific. But nevertheless, he figured he could listen to the teenage hero. Edward had, after all, crashed at her house before.

He walked over to the kitchen, and grabbed a mug out of the cabinet. “I’m guessing you would like some tea? Is black with one scoop of honey still your favorite?”

“Oooh, yes please.” Steph reached up and grabbed the mug before she relaxed back onto the couch.

“What did your father do this time, Stephanie?” Edward asked as he made his own cup of tea.

“He decided to stop by my school today. In his full Cluemaster garb and everything. And I couldn’t get out of class because I was having a test, so I couldn’t go to stop him. Of course, Robin of all people showed up to stop him, and he _completely ignored me!_ Like, Batgirl would’ve at least stopped to say `hi’.”

“Oh, and his plan? He was gonna hold the school ransom until people’s parents paid money. That’s such a cliche and stupid plan. And since he sent out the message to all the parents, my mom got it too. It took until Robin came for him to go away. I didn’t even get to help beat my dad. But Robin didn’t actually catch him, Dad got away! So then tonight he came home, acting like everything is _just peachy_ , but my mom is totally aware that he ransomed my school today! Unsuccessfully! And the two of them have just been yelling at each other non stop for the past hour and I had to get away.” Stephanie sighed and took a long sip of her black tea. “Mmmm, this is good. Thanks, Uncle Ed.”

Edward did a double take at the casualness she addressed him with. However, it _did_ make sense. He had lived in her house for a while, and he had offered refuge to her whenever she needed to get away from her father. Eddie was well aware of the fact that Arthur Brown had abused his daughter in her childhood, and child abuse is a line that Edward would never cross. Stephanie even shows great analytical solving skills, the GCPD has thought her riddles to be his!

If she wasn’t so adamant on being a hero, she would’ve given her father _and_ himself a run for their money.

“No problem, Stephanie. Your father has no common sense, and much less knowledge than he pleases himself on. Is there anything else you need to vent about?”

She thought it over for a minute, before replying, “Nah, I think I’m good. Thanks for listening, Uncle Ed!” Stephanie walked over to the door. “See ya next time you try to take over Gotham, or when my dad decides to be an asshole again.”

By the time Eddie looked up, she was already gone.

 _Bats,_ he thought, _I can never understand them._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have to stop putting these off.


	6. 'What did you do?' 'My Best'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a wee bit high on cold medication and pain killers and blasting showtunes into my eardrums so please enjoy this.

“Hmmm, what should we have for dinner tonight,” Stephanie Brown said to herself as she searched through the pantry in her and Cass’s apartment. When she opened the freezer, right in front of her was the answer. Pizza Rolls.

There is no better dinner to have when you come back from a cold patrol than pizza rolls. The boiling hot inside contrasted beautifully with the sharp and bitter cold of the outside. Damn, Steph outta become a poet!

“Alright, so there’s no telling _how_ hungry Cass is gonna be when she gets home, so I better just cook as much as I can fit on a pan.” Steph put the tinfoil onto a sheet pan, and dumped the bag of pizza rolls onto it. There was kinda a mountain, but the more the merrier. She shoved the pan into the oven.

“Hmm, the bag says to do 20 for 10 minutes. There’s probably about 50 on this tray, so that means it should cook for about 30 minutes.” Stephanie set the timer, and then went to take a shower before Cass used all the hot water up when she got home.

It was a very nice shower. Steph used her special good smelling body wash, because every now and then it was good to use some self care. With all the roof jumping and crook catching, Stephanie deserved it, too.

Stephanie got out of the shower about 20 minutes later, and put on her favorite pajamas. It was gonna be a good night. A hot shower, comfy pajamas, pizza rolls, and probably some snuggling with Cass. What a good life.

It was then, however, that Steph began to smell the smoke. She was so caught up in her blissful day dreams, though, that she didn’t really take notice of it. But when she walked out of the bathroom 10 minutes later and heard the beeping of the timer, she was hit face first with the stench of smoke.

_Shit._

Stephanie ran to the kitchen, and saw smoke billowing out of the oven. She immediately threw the oven open and grabbed the rack without even thinking to grab the oven mitts. Her reflexes caused her to drop them everywhere, which gave Steph a little confidence boost, because her reflexes were pretty dang good.

But now there were burnt pizza rolls all over the floor, and a haze of smoke over the apartment.

And it was of course at that moment when Cass decided to come home.

Cass surveyed their apartment, taking in the smell of smoke, the crunch of a pizza roll under her foot, and the sight of Steph lounging against the counter with the guiltiest smile on her face.

“Stephanie,” She sighed, “what did you _do_?”

Steph stood up tall. “My best.”

Cass rolled her eyes. “I’ll grab the takeout menu.”

“That sounds fabulous, Cass. I love you!”

“I love you too, Steph.”


	7. Home Notes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie decides, as the person who has lived in Wayne Manor the most as someone who is not Bruce's child, to give Duke an introductory list to living as a Wayne.

**Things Duke Should Probably Know**

1\. Don’t become Robin. If you do, you will develop a weird, almost fatherly bond with Bruce. And Bruce can be emotionally constipated.

2\. You have a high likelihood of dying. Jason died, Damian died, Dick made everyone think he died, Tim got kidnapped and we all thought he died, Bruce got lost in time and we all thought he died, and I pretty much died. I actually was barely even alive and then Nurse Thompkins helped me escape to Africa to try to get a better life. Yup. Let that sink in.

3\. Alfred’s cooking is amazing. You will never know better food ever again in your life. Also, because his cookies are so good, you damn well better share with the rest of us.

4\. I think that Damian is the only one who lives full time at the mansion. Dick lives in Bludhaven, but is frequently over for meals. Jason has his own apartment in Gotham, as does Tim. Tim’s is actually pretty close to me and Cass’s apartment. But Tim, Cass, and I basically live at the mansion. Sometimes when patrol goes rough or too long, you just gotta have Alfred help tend your wounds, give you cookies, and then crash in a guest room. A guest room that’s pretty much your own room.

5\. If you ever see Joker, run. Fucking run as fast as you damn can while calling someone. Dick is probably your most level headed guess. Or Cass. But Dick is more likely to also call for backup.

6\. If you ever see Cluemaster, call me and walk away. I am the only one who is allowed to fight him. He’s my dad, in case you’re wondering. (Tim can fight him on occasions, but only if I’m there too.)

7\. Vicki Vale thinks she knows everything about you. And what she doesn’t know, she will try to find out. I think she was actually really damn close to figuring all our identities out, but then Tim got his shapeshifter friend to pretend to be him and get shot while Red Robin swooped in and saved the day. He didn’t tell any of us this, however, and that was a little disconcerting watching him get shot on the news.

8\. If you plan to get yourself fake shot or killed or something, please tell the rest of us. It’d be hard explaining how the mighty Batman died of a heart attack.

9\. Communication is key. Lots of very bad things and some drama have happened due to miscommunication. I was thought to be dead. Dick was thought to be dead. _Basically everyone has been thought to be dead._ Except Jason. He actually did die.

10\. If Jason brings up his death, just smile and nod. He’s not special. Damian died too.

11\. Damian may seem intimidating, but he’s a sweetheart deep down. To be fair, me, Cass, Dick, and Alfred are the only ones to receive kindness. And Superboy.

12\. Despite what Tim may joke about, Damian is _not_ all bark and no bite. We still haven’t found all of his hidden katanas.

13\. Hot Chocolate and Coffee are sacred relics. Disturb someone else’s mug and Bruce will have another child to mourn.

14\. Babs know everything. Even if you think she doesn’t, she does. She is the only one other than Dick and Bruce in our family to have lead the Justice League. And no one even knew it was her. She’s such a badass.

15\. If Ra’s al Ghul shows up, ignore him. He’s probably looking for Tim.

16\. Batmans (Batmen?) that come from the future are typically not to be trusted. It’s kinda not fun to think about how most future or alternate versions of Tim are evil. Our Tim isn’t, though. He’s just tired.

17\. Cass is a better fighter than Bruce. Some people don’t think that a 5’5” 19 year old girl could best Batman in a fight. _She can._

18\. If the doorbell rings and it’s a redhead, it’s for Dick. This includes Flash, Oracle, Red Arrow, Starfire, and others I probably don’t even know. Jason has a red head friend but she never shows up at our house. Typically Amazons don’t show up. Except Donna.

19\. Donna Troy is basically the exception to every rule ever made. She is perfect. If you somehow don’t know her, she’s Wonder Woman’s sister. She is allowed in the house. She is allowed the cookies.

\-------------------------------

Stephanie Brown walked over to where Duke Thomas was sitting.

“Hey buddy, I have a gift for you. From one member of the Batfamily to another, a general list of rules for ya. They don’t cover everything, but I think it’ll help with some of the basics. These are most of the unspoken rules that no one ever bothered to tell you about.”

Duke looked over the list, nodding slowly in comprehension. “Thanks, this actually clears a few things up.”

Steph smiled. “One important thing that I forgot to put on there. Despite all the grey and dreariness Gotham has, never give up hope.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that the past few have been so short, I'm interning in an elementary school and it is sickness season.


	8. Dear Diary

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie Brown has a sucky dad. She decides to do something about it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've been pretty sick lately, and norovirus is going around where I work. Today is 8th and 9th, and then tomorrow will be 10th and 11th, and then I'll be all caught up. :)

Dear Diary,

My dad is one of the biggest assholes in Gotham. Definitely not _the_ biggest, that goes to Joker. But my dad is bad for more personal reasons.

He’s been doing crime for as long as I can remember, and his whole schtick is so stupid. He’s literally a Riddler rip off, and he’s not even that good. He’s really unoriginal.

He’s not even just bad at crime, he’s bad at being a dad, too. Because of how much he’s been in and out of prison, I barely ever see him. And when I do see him, he locks me in the closet for talking back. Or as I call it, having a moral compass.

Batman and Robin have caught him before, but he never sticks around for very long. I bet I could do a better job than either of them.

Hey! That’s not that bad of an idea!

I definitely have enough skill to make myself a costume, and Dad has some of his old costume parts somewhere around the house. I could take some of the stuff that’s not super torn up, or would actually fit. Like belts and whatnot. And then I would go out and and spoil his crime.

That’s not that bad of a hero name, spoil.

Wait, better yet.

Spoiler.

Yeah, I’ll be the Spoiler!


	9. Go Go Power Batgirl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie catches a cold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've had enough experience with being sick the past couple days. Heck, I was sick enough that I didn't write anything. But it gave me something to write about. If I have to be sick, so does Steph. She has to deal with me this year.

“Achoo!” Stephanie blew her nose for the bajillionith time that day. She had been caught in the rain on her way home from school yesterday, and she was paying for it now. Being sick _sucked_.

She took another sip of her tea. Tea was the only thing getting her through the day. She hadn’t had anything else yet that day. Except for some water. She drank some water earlier so that she could take some ibuprofen. Her head didn’t pound as much, but her nose was red as her old Robin costume.

Stephanie also hadn’t left the couch yet that day. She probably would end up sleeping there that night. She had watched the entire first season of Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers so far, and she was ready to the second one when Cass walked over and shut off the TV.

“You need sleep. Watching TV non stop won’t help your headache. Sleep now. Sleep as long as you can. I will be quiet so I don’t wake you up.” Cass crossed her arms.

“Aw Cass, just go to the Manor for the night. You have a room there.” Steph pointed out.

Cass raised an eyebrow. “And trust you to take care of yourself while sick? I’m not that stupid. I’m staying in the apartment so that I can make sure you don’t stay up all night watching Power Rangers.” She looked over at the TV. “How can you even stand watching that? The fights are so obviously choreographed, and you yourself can fight better than the Power Rangers even now.”

“Is that a challenge?”

“Absolutely not. Now get to sleep.”

“Whatever you say, Zordon.”

“Why am I Zordon? Wouldn’t that be Alfred?”

“Yeah, but Alfred isn’t here right now. And currently, you’re the one trying to stop me from doing something stupid. So you’re Zordon. If Zordon was my best friend.”

Cass smiled. “Get the sleep, Steph. Power Rangers will be here in the morning, as will I.”


	10. Snowball

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Steph throws a snowball at Damian. Everything goes downhill from there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok. So it's been a real long time since I've written something.
> 
> I was originally planning on there being something every day, however that is just not possible for me to do. I will be uploading as often as I can, and I don't want to give you guys something that I'm not proud of.

_Whap!_ Damian felt something cold drip down his back. He turned around to see Stephanie Brown standing across the yard, a grin on her face.

“Oh hey there Damian! I didn’t see you there,” she said.

Damian rolled his eyes. “Obviously you did, Brown. Otherwise that snow would not have hit me.”

“Oh, come on, Damian. Lighten up! When was the last time you had a snowball fight?”

Damian paused. “I’ve never had the time for such juvenile excursions, Brown.”

Steph looked at him like he was crazy. “You’ve never had a snowball fight? This is your first winter in the manor, right?”

“Yes.”

“That explains it. No one has ever shown you how to have a snowball fight. Here, I’ll show you how.” She reached down and packed some more snow into a ball, and chucked it straight at Damian.

Damian was able to avoid it this time. “I don’t see what the point in this is. There is no clear victory in this.”

“The one who wins is the one who doesn’t give in!” Steph jogged over to where Damian was. “Here, I’ll show you how to make one. Over here is where the more packed down snow is, that’s the good stuff. You don’t want to use any fluffy snow. Fluffy snow is only good for getting all over your car. Packing snow is the best for snowballs. Then you just gotta mold it into a ball with your hands, and there you have a beautiful snowball!” She handed the finished creation over to Damian.

Damian inspected the snowball. “So, you throw it at a person like this?” Damian whipped the snowball at Steph. It nailed her right in the stomach. He grinned when he saw Steph double over.

“Geez, Damian. Not that hard. You’re not supposed to actually kill anyone.” She reached back down for the snow.

The two of them got caught up in a flurry of insults, snowballs, and laughs. They lost track of time and the thought of hot chocolate or a warm manor was nowhere in their mind.

In the manor, Dick Grayson and Alfred Pennyworth looked out a window into the yard.

“Well, Master Dick, it looks like there is hope for our new Robin and Batgirl to have a working relationship yet.”


	11. War Journal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a long time. Honestly, it has for all my fics. But I'm back. My mental health is better and I have a dosage of meds that work. God is good, y'all.

Steph’s ~~War Journal~~ Quarantine Diary

Day 1

Today is day one.

The first day.

Number 1.

Quarantine has begun.

I have decided (against my better nature) to stay at the Wayne Manor during these trying times.

Mainly because I knew that I would have much better luck staying sanitized and safe wherever Alfred Pennyworth was.

Also Cass is at the mansion. 

So off I am to go pack for spending the next who knows how long at the Wayne Manor.

Wish me luck.

…

Better bring some extra weapons just to be safe.

* * *

Day 7

It’s been one week since I’ve arrived at Wayne Manor.

I’d like to say I’m a changed person.

That I’ve made some goals for myself.

But honestly?

I’ve just been hiding and playing Animal Crossing with Cass the whole time.

* * *

Day 15

It’s been two weeks since I hunkered down here at the Wayne Manor and I am baking my fifth batch of cookies with Alfred.

I just started helping with the cookies last week.

We go through a lot of cookies here in the Batfam.

I figured I needed to do more than just sit around all day, and Alfred’s good company, so he’s been teaching me how to bake cookies.

I’m also learning how to make tea the English way. The proper way.

Apparently you’re supposed to put in the sugar first, and then the hot water. Learn something new every day I guess.

We really shouldn’t be going through this many batches of cookies, but I think Tim and Duke are hiding out somewhere. I’m not exactly sure where, as me and Cass took over the attic. We’ve been working on converting the whole thing into a giant blanket fort. It’s been going pretty well.

* * *

Day 28

It’s been almost a month of not going out anywhere.

A month of living in Wayne Manor, surrounded by genius, paranoid, abnormally good at fighting people who dress up and stalk the night.

So in other words, pretty much what I normally deal with.

I’d take Batman and Robin over Cluemaster and the occasional Riddler any day.

It’s actually been kinda nice, it’s been more calm than normal.

Everyone has been together for a month now. That’s good for our mental health.

We spend too much time away from each other.

We all kinda avoided each other at first, and drove each other nuts, what with hiding spots and everything.

But then we slowly made more and more of a routine.

It started with the dining table becoming a safe spot for the cookie war. Me, Cass, Tim, and Duke would go there to share cookies with one another.

We ended up sitting there for every meal, too.

Slowly Damian, Dick, and Jason joined us too, mainly because Alfred ended up making the most food when the four of us sat together.

It took a while, but eventually even Bruce joined in sitting at the table with us.

We ended up moving from the table directly to the kitchen.

Alfred is in there scolding Tim for not putting any sugar in his tea, for just keeping black.

Duke is in there boiling some water for Mac and Cheese, arguing with Bruce about what kind of Kraft Mac and Cheese is the best.

(I think it’s the three cheese)

Jason starts off looking for the most alcoholic drink, but ends up seeing Damian next to him and grabs two cans of root beer.

Me and Cass are making hot chocolate together.

Dick steals the whipped cream from us.

There are still times where Jason and Bruce fight over efficiency of different crime fighting methods.

Tim and Damian still don’t always get along.

But the fights aren’t as messy. They don’t lead to having a silent treatment afterwards.

(Damian _did_ try to send a messenger pigeon to Tim’s window once. It’s only words were “Fuck You, Drake.” The pigeon hit the unopened window.)

For once the Batfamily has become more of an actual family

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow. The original plan was for this to end in a super crack-fic way, with the numbers changing to a question mark. But the feels overtook me and just came out. So please enjoy!


	12. she did the bash, she did the birthday bash

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There is one thing that Stephanie Brown has in common with the rest of humanity.
> 
> She has a birthday.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back from the dead for my girl's birthday.

“Hey Steph, what mug do you want?” Tim yelled at Steph from the kitchen of Steph and Cass’s apartment.

“Give me the Wonder Woman one. I feel like treating myself today.”

The mug collection in the apartment was rapidly growing, no thanks to the fact that Tim was over pretty much every other day for hot chocolate, and Damian for tea on the days Tim wasn’t around.

Those two are the reason there are two different Superboy mugs in this house.

(If there can be merch of Superman’s 10 year old son then there can be official Spoiler merch.)

She’ll talk to Bruce about it later.

“Here you go, Steph,” Tim handed her a mug full of hot chocolate.

There is honestly no better feeling than holding a warm mug. Very comforting, 10/10 _would_ recommend.

“Cass should be here soon. We can’t start movie birthday night without her,” Steph remarked.

Tim reached back for his bo. “About that…”

And everything went black. 

\-------------------------------

_What the hell just happened?_ Steph sat up and attempted to figure out where the hell she was.

Sadly it was pitch black wherever the fuck she was.

“Tim? You there buddy?” Steph got to her feet, arms out to feel for anything near her.

“Surprise!” The Batcave lit up and there before her was Cass, Damian, Dick, Jason, Duke, Babs, Bruce, and Tim.  
Fucking Tim. Knocked her out instead of just saying that Alfred had cookies or something.

Cass ran up to Steph and gave her a hug. “I know we usually do movie nights for birthdays, but this time we had some fun planning an actual birthday for you.”

“You’re the best, Cass.” Stephanie hugged her back.

“Alright dickheads, let’s not waste too much time being emotional. There are some absolutely stellar gifts that need to be given.” Jason shouted at everyone.

“We’ll go in order of youngest to oldest. Demon Brat, that means you’re first.”

Damian walked over to Steph and handed her a small box. “I hope that this is sufficient, Brown.”

Inside the box was a small necklace that had an amethyst on it. Stephanie immediately put it on and gave Damian a hug.

“Thanks kid, you’re a lot sweeter than you pretend to be.”

Damian scoffed at that and walked over to where he had previously been perching.

Next Duke gave her a bag with purple tissue paper in it. “I’m gonna be honest, I did not put as much thought into this as I guarantee the rest of them did. It’s been busy this week.”

Steph grinned. “That’s totally fine! I’m honestly just glad that I got to see you all today.”

Stephanie took the tissue paper out of the bag, and pulled out a robin stuffed animal. Like, the actual bird.

“My turn next, I got her a really good one.” Jason bounded over to Steph and grinned as he held out an old amazon box that had obviously been re taped together.

Steph hesitantly took the box from him and ripped the tape off.

“NO WAY!” She exclaimed. “This is literally the best thing ever and it’s going on the biggest wall in my house.”

Stephanie held up the gift, which was a green dartboard with a mugshot of Cluemaster glued to it.

“This is literally the most perfect gift of all time. Jason, you are my new favorite.” Steph held up the dartboard, a wild look in her eyes.

“Does this mean I get to keep a mug at your apartment?” Jason asked.

“Absolutely. But we have to play darts while drinking,” Steph replied

The rest of the family looked at each other warily before Dick cleared his throat and walked up to Stephanie.

“It’s not even wrapped, I know, but I honestly haven’t had time to do anything. It was the biggest pack of hot chocolate that Costco had, though.” Dick handed her the box of hot chocolate.

Steph grinned. “It’ll probably be gone in, like, two weeks if I’m being real. You guys’ll end up coming over more often now that you know I have all this hot chocolate.”

“Well, now it is time for the tastiest present,” Tim began, “Cass and I baked a cake for you with Alfred. The frosting is purple and everything!”

Everyone headed up to the kitchen where Alfred was putting candles on the cake. As Steph was going towards the elevator, she was stopped by Bruce grabbing her shoulder.

“Stephanie, before you go for the cake, I have my own gift to give you.” Bruce handed Stephanie a small black bag with red, green, and yellow tissue paper. “I have noticed that you have an, ah, aficionado for mugs. I also noticed that there aren't any official Spoiler mugs out there. So I took it upon myself to make sure that you could have a mug with your own logo on it. Or in your case, your face, since you do not have a logo.”

“I know that we haven’t always gotten along-” Steph snorted at that. “-but I was hoping that this could be a sign of us trying. You are so much more competent at crime fighting than I have always told you, and it wasn’t right of me to constantly compare you to Tim while you were Robin. I know that someday you will most likely become legally related to me through marriage, through one of my children, but you are still considered family to me.”

Stephanie gave Bruce a big hug. “Thanks, B. It means a lot to me. You may be emotionally constipated, but you’re nowhere near as my birth dad.”

Bruce smiled. “Thank you, Stephanie. Now, how about we get some of that cake before the rest of my children finish it off?”

\-------------------------------

On her way back to her apartment, Stephanie heard someone call her name from the alley near her. Steph cautiously walked over to the alley, hand on the extendable bo staff in her pocket.

“Who’s there?” She said. “I’m warning you, I’m armed.”

“Stephanie, Stephanie, is that any way to greet your favorite not-uncle?” The Riddler walked out the alley towards Stephanie. “I just had to come say happy birthday to my favorite batkid.”

“Uncle Ed!” Stephanie gave Edward Nigma a hug. “I can’t believe you remembered that it was my birthday!”

“Tsk, of course I remembered your birthday. I lived at your house frequently enough to learn things as simple as a birthday. I thought that I would stop by your apartment on my way home in order to wish you a happy birthday. My apologies for not having anything to give you.”

Steph smiled. “Thanks, Uncle Ed. I’m just happy that I was able to see you today. I got to see all of my family today. Well, the family that I like, anyways.”

“Isn’t that what family is? It doesn’t have to be the people we’re blood related to. You can make your own family.” Edward remarked.

Steph thought about that for a bit, before smiling and stating, “Then here’s to family, and the chance to be able to make a new one that’s perfect for me.”


End file.
